A new study has found that remote First Nations communities in Australia are already using practical and culturally rooted strategies to cope with rising temperatures, offering valuable lessons for adapting to increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves driven by climate change. Researchers say governments should listen more closely to these communities and invest in locally designed solutions to better protect people from extreme heat.
The research involved one on one discussions with 30 First Nations participants from four remote communities in Central Australia, where temperatures regularly soar above 40°C during summer. The findings highlight how extreme heat affects health, daily life, infrastructure and access to essential services, while also revealing community led approaches that help residents stay safe.
Extreme Heat Disrupts Health and Daily Life
Participants reported that prolonged heat causes dehydration, headaches, exhaustion, poor sleep and increased stress. Many said it becomes difficult to walk outdoors, visit relatives or reach healthcare facilities during the hottest parts of the day. Older people, children, pregnant women and those with existing health conditions were identified as being especially vulnerable.
The study also found that poorly designed housing, unreliable electricity, malfunctioning air conditioners and limited repair services leave many remote communities exposed to dangerous temperatures. These challenges also make it difficult to store food and medicines safely during heatwaves.
Despite these hardships, the communities have developed effective ways to adapt. Residents often shift daily activities to cooler morning and evening hours, share cooled community spaces and refrigeration facilities, and rely on local weather updates as well as traditional knowledge passed down by Elders to prepare for changing conditions.
Researchers say these locally developed strategies should complement greater government investment in climate-resilient housing, shaded public spaces, reliable power supply, transport services and heat health education in local languages. The study concludes that combining Indigenous knowledge with improved infrastructure can strengthen climate resilience not only in remote regions but also in towns and cities facing increasingly severe heatwaves.